SURREY, B.C. — Former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum is calling for a federal investigation into what he alleges is foreign interference targeting British Columbia’s upcoming municipal elections.
McCallum and the Safe Surrey Coalition claim that a network of Facebook pages is attempting to influence voters ahead of the October municipal elections in Surrey, Vancouver and Delta.
According to the coalition, at least six Facebook pages present themselves as local B.C. news outlets, but are allegedly operated from outside Canada.
“This is not a Canadian operation,” the coalition said in a statement. “The people running it are in India. The money paying for it is in rupees.”
The coalition further alleges that advertising records from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, identify the payer and beneficiary of the pages as a computer research organization linked to the Indian government.
“Ottawa calls this a national security matter when it happens federally,” McCallum said. “It is happening in Surrey right now and not one person in authority has said a word.”
The Safe Surrey Coalition is urging the federal RCMP to investigate the alleged network and is calling on the B.C. government to publicly state whether the October municipal elections will be monitored for potential foreign interference.
No evidence has been publicly released by authorities confirming the coalition’s allegations, and neither Meta nor the governments named have publicly responded to the claims.